There are times in life when we visit places, people and even age-old events and we contemplate what life was about many years ago. We indulge in a healthy dose of nostalgia and attempt to see the past in our own imaginations. We look at our Main Street today and think about the way it used to be, certainly the same Main Street we see today but there are pieces of the past once dominant that no longer exist. The trolley cars, gas lanterns, majestic American Elm trees, cobblestone paving and the elegantly dressed patrons shopping the eclectic group of shops along the side of the street. Perhaps we do not miss things that we have no knowledge, but I do beg to differ on that point.
There was a prominent businessman living in Concord in the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s. His name was Benjamin Ames Kimball and he lived down on South Main Street in Concord. Serving as the president of the Concord and Montreal Railroad, he invested his wealth and enjoyed a very admirable life here in town. A natural leader, Kimball served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, the Executive Council and as a trustee at Dartmouth College. His work and social life kept him engaged and well versed. He started the Ford and Kimball Foundry in Concord and even built a castle in Gilford for his summer retreats.
When Benjamin Kimball wrote his last will and testament, he desired to give back to the political circles that he was well versed in here in New Hampshire. He pictured a prestigious residence here in Concord that could be utilized as a residence by the Governor of New Hampshire. It was his residence that he bequeathed to the State of New Hampshire and word spread quickly upon his death in 1920 that we were going to have a New Hampshire “White House” on South Main Street where the Governor would reside. How very exciting for our ancestors, this topic was the talk of the town.
The Benjamin Kimball mansion on South Main Street was certainly a grand building with a history. It was constructed in 1825 with the finest of materials. Sampson Ballard actually built the original structure in 1825 and sold the building to Benjamin Thompson in 1834. Thompson purchased the building so that he could use it as his Water Cure Hospital.
In 1860, we find Banker George Chandler residing in the building for several years. In 1878, Kimball purchased this mansion and spent a small fortune on changing it from a grand residence to one of the most elegant residences in town. There was no attention to detail that Kimball did spare on the mansion and the accompanying grounds.
Kimball envisioned his South Main Street home as the permanent residence of the sitting Governor of New Hampshire. Upon his death in 1920, the building became vacant and the interior furnishings were dismantled. Kimball desired that his surviving wife be allowed to remain at will in the house when the New Hampshire Legislature learned the house was offered to them. There was much discussion and the New Hampshire lawmakers felt a vote was in order before a house of this magnitude could be accepted. The votes were cast and the State of New Hampshire decided to decline the gracious offer from Benjamin Kimball citing the concerns with long term maintenance and upkeep. The people of Concord were somewhat disappointed to see this offer refused but they soon realized it would mean the loss of property tax dollars.
The Benjamin Kimball Mansion remained empty for a period of years after the State of New Hampshire declined the offer. I found myself 40 years later in the 1960s visiting this Mansion with a brick addition enjoying the adventures of Swiss Family Robinson. The building constructed to the left of the mansion on Kimball’s property became known as the Capital Theatre. Our ancestors enjoyed stage productions and in time moving picture shows. The scent of freshly popped theater popcorn filled the air during my childhood.
The Capital Theater continued to provide movies for the public and there were stage
performances as well, but times were changing and the future of the Capital Theater was concluding. The theater closed and the mansion beside remained empty for extended periods. Today the theater is restored and grand and the mansion is a wonderful example of the past. A time when people of wealth lived extraordinary lives in the finest homes. We know this building with a history today as the Capital Center for the Arts.
I would think Benjamin Kimball might have been upset to see his offer of a New Hampshire White House declined shortly after his passing. However, I am certain he would appreciate the Capital Center for the Arts and his preserved mansion sitting nearby as a tribute to all that is good.